New York’s 289 deaths in 24 hours ‘lower than it has been,’ Cuomo says

New York state saw another 289 deaths as a result of the coronavirus in a 24-hour period, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday as the state reached the two-month mark since its first confirmed case of the bug.

“Lower than it has been, but still tragic and terrible,” Cuomo said during his daily Albany press briefing as he reported the number of the new fatalities — 22 of them in nursing homes — from the virus, bringing the total amount of COVID-19 deaths in the state to 18,610.

Statewide coronavirus-related hospitalizations, patients in intensive care units, and the number of those in ICUs that are intubated continue to trend downward, Cuomo said, calling that “good news.”

But, the governor explained, “for me, everyday” the death toll number “just wipes that all away.”

Cuomo said the state is still reporting roughly 1,000 new coronavirus hospitalizations per day with a total of 954 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday.

“That looks like the number is flattening, is plateauing at about 900, 1,000 cases,” Cuomo said.

The governor said the state is seeking to get more specific information from hospitals on the cases of those hospitalized with the virus on a daily basis, including whether or not the patients are essential workers.

According to state data released Friday, 17.5 percent of new coronavirus cases in New York over the past three days came from Manhattan, 17.4 percent from Brooklyn, 12.8 percent from The Bronx, 11.9 percent from Queens, 10.1 percent from Nassau County and 7.8 percent from Westchester County.

“It gives you a snapshot of where the new cases are coming from,” Cuomo said.

Meanwhile, the first confirmed COVID-19 case in New York was detected two months ago on March 1 in Manhattan, and Cuomo noted Friday that it was “only 30 days ago” that the state was seeing its number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations trend upward.

Those numbers would have continued “to go straight up” if it was not for the actions of New Yorkers who adhered to stay-at-home orders and social distancing practices, the governor said.

“What happened is New Yorkers, Americans they changed reality,” said Cuomo. “They literally changed the path of the virus spread and reversed the spread.”

“You saw that number change from that upward trajectory to the downward trajectory,” Cuomo said, explaining that New Yorkers “reduced” the number of those that would have been hospitalized by 100,000.

The governor added, “Our past actions changed the past trajectory. Our present actions will determine the future trajectory. It is that clear. It is cause and effect.”

“What you do today will determine the number of sick tomorrow,” he said.